


How about another first date?

by Arlene0401



Series: Tumblr drabbles and oneshots 2015 [5]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Restaurant, Blind Date, Eren is a cinnamon roll, Erwin and Mike are scheming, Falling In Love, Fluff, M/M, Romance, accidental blind date, chef Farlan, fitness instructor Eren, restaurant owner Levi, waitress Isabel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-13
Updated: 2016-01-13
Packaged: 2018-05-13 19:17:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5714050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arlene0401/pseuds/Arlene0401
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi has been called to inspect one of the restaurants he manages. Little does he know that his partners Erwin and Mike have set up a blind date for him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How about another first date?

**Author's Note:**

> Gift oneshot for tumblr user imasmi. I had a lot of fun dressing Levi smart asf ;-)

Levi shook his umbrella out with a sigh before putting it into the stand. Isabel, the waitress, rushed over to help him out of his coat and hang it up with more formality than was necessary, which left him puzzled. Of course he was the restaurant's owner – well, co-owner -, but it wasn't unusual for him to come checking.

Underneath the coat, he was immaculately dressed as always. Some would call it flashy or exaggerated. He wore gleaming black shoes and a black suit with a silky shine, the jacket slightly overlong, with a fitted waist. The outfit was completed by a pocket watch on a silver chain and a carefully tied cravat with a pearl pin.

He sighed again and polished his already clean silver-rimmed glasses with a silk handkerchief before putting them back on his nose. Actually he didn't need to wear glasses all the time – his eyes weren't that bad - , but he liked the way he looked with them. They framed his grey eyes nicely and punctuated his sophisticated look.

He hadn't planned on checking on The Golden Wings today, but his companion Erwin had called him and insisted – insisted – that he go here today. They were equal partners, as well as the third partner Mike, and Levi didn't approve of being bossed around, but Erwin was for the most part good at convincing him, something they were both well aware of and Erwin wasn't ashamed to take full advantage of.

Together they owned a small chain of restaurants, The Golden Wings, The Golden Eagle, The Golden Swan and some other noble-metallic poultry, ranging from middle class to exquisite. The Golden Wings fitted somewhere in the middle.

Slowly, he made his way through the restaurant, looking left and right, attentive to any detail that might earn his displeasure. It was quite early, and the only customer was a young man, seated at a table for two and apparently waiting for someone. He fidgeted nervously and kept fumbling with his serviette. When he noticed Levi approaching, he looked up and beamed a somewhat twitchy but honest smile. Levi nodded a curt acknowledgment when to his endless surprise the man got up, politely and swiftly closed the buttons on his suit jacket and approached him with an outstretched hand. Was it some headhunter? A loanshark?

"You must be Levi", the man said, shaking Levi's limp hand. "Pleased to meet you in person at last! I'm Eren." He gestured towards the table, and in a dreamlike trance – it must be a dream, surely it must be – Levi allowed himself to be seated.

What the hell was going on here? He was sure he'd never met the man before – no one in his right mind could ever see such shining green eyes and such a devilishly handsome smile and forget about them.

The young man - Eren - sat down on the opposite side of the table, let out a huff and shot him another dazzling smile. "I got here a little early. That's my first blind date, and I was nervous as hell and worried I might not find the place and wind up late. Have you ever done this before?"

"What? A blind date?" Levi managed, still dumbfounded and growing more puzzled by the minute. This must be some ghastly misunderstanding. Although, looking at his counterpart, he didn't particularly mind if it lasted a little longer. Eren's face was framed by casually tousled brown hair. He was taller than Levi – well, that wasn't hard, really – with a slight yet wiry build. He had dressed for the occasion, with a light grey shirt, blue tie and an anthracite jacket.

Eren cocked his head. "To be honest, I would appreciate it. Because that would mean we're both inexperienced in this dating stuff and can be as awkward about is as we want."

Now this was getting utterly adorable. This bloke thought he had his blind date in front of him, and instead of acting cool and showing off his flirting skills he just blabbered away and was so goddamn honest.

"No. I've never been on a blind date." True enough. Running a chain of restaurants, and being as devoted and meticulous about it as he was, he had neither leisure nor patience to keep any love interests. Erwin and Mike constantly nagged him about "get a private live, for god's sake, and unwind a bit".

Isabel appeared at their table, introduced herself as their waitress – which earned her a cocked eyebrow from Levi – and handed them the menus, acting as if it was completely normal for him to eat with customers. No, Levi thought, she acted as if she didn't know him at all. What was up here? After she'd taken their drinks orders she disappeared through the swinging doors to the kitchen, and Levi caught a glimpse of blond hair. His eyes narrowed. The door swung back slightly, and there they were. His bloody companions – no, _ex_ companions – were lurking in the kitchen like two oversized toddlers trying to get a peek at Santa.

"Say, Eren", he said, pretending to pour over the menu while he felt the puzzle pieces clicking into place almost audibly, "how come you recognized me so fast? Did I describe myself so well?"

Eren chuckled. "You could say so. Short, gorgeous and hopelessly overdressed, that's pretty accurate. Good thing you warned me about your facial expression, too. I don't know if many people would admit to looking sour enough to spoil milk."

Now Levi was sure that Erwin and Mike had set this up. And although he should be pissed at them, he wasn't. Now that he was in this surreal situation, he might as well make the best of it. Hell, he should show them he was perfectly capable of enjoying himself. And of giving someone else a good time, too.

He snapped the menu shut. "Would you be okay with letting me order for both of us? I'll let them treat us to something that's not on the menu."

Eren looked at him curiously. "You seem to be pretty sure of yourself."

"Trust me, I know this place really well. I come here quite often."

"Okay. I trust you. Surprise me, then. I love surprises. And I don't get to eat in fancy places often, so this menu is pretty much Greek to me anyway."

Again Eren's total lack of pretense got to Levi. He was used to dealing with people brimming with arrogance, who were all about impressions and appearances. Eren, on the other hand, had no problem admitting he wasn't used to elegant places without losing his confidence.

Isabel came with their mineral water – still for Levi, carbonated for Eren – and Levi asked Eren: "Would you like some wine, or do you have to drive?"

"Wine would be nice", Eren beamed. "I caught a ride here, so that's okay."

"We'll have a bottle of Clos Martinet, then. Consommé for starters, Entrecôte double gratinated with goat cheese, and delice of dark chocolate."

"Entrecôte double?" Isabel's pen hovered above her pad.

"I'm sure Farlan will be happy to prepare it." Levi's gaze added silently _If he wants to keep his job._

"Of course, Sir." Isabel smiled nervously and hurried off. A couple of minutes later she returned with the wine and performed the ceremony of opening, tasting and pouring with fresh confidence. Over Eren's shoulder she passed the slightest of smirks at Levi, knowing that this dry yet fruity wine was one of his favorites and that he only drank on special occasions.

Eren was obviously impressed, with the wine as well as his dinner partner. Levi got the impression that he wasn't used to alcohol much, because by the time the soup arrived a slight pink glow had already spread over his cheeks. "Levi, curiosity is killing me. Why does a guy like you take refuge to blind dates? Surely you'd have no trouble finding someone? I mean, you look terrific, even with that stern face you try to keep up, you dress sharp, and you seem quite sophisticated. And although you give the world a bitch face, I think that underneath that hides a kind and sentimental person."

Levi cheeks reddened a little. He was aware he possessed a certain physical attractiveness, but he never fooled himself about his social abilities. No one, with the exception of Erwin and Mike, had taken the trouble to look past his facade, and even them it had taken months to figure him out. But Eren seemed to look right through him, and without effort.

He tried a laugh and said: "I could say pretty much the same about you, Eren. How come a man with your looks and smarts is not taken?"

Eren shrugged. "Just bad luck, I guess. Apart from that, I never looked seriously. Didn't have the inclination to settle down, you know? But I didn't want to fool around, either." The pink on his cheeks went a shade darker.

Levi nearly choked on his consommé. If that was implying what he think it did… holy shit. How could anyone be so defenseless? Eren's flushed face and shining eyes weren't helping, either. He couldn't fight putting this blush into another context, and in his mind’s eye Eren's lids fell shut and his head fell back as he let out a shuddery moan, his pretty face contorted in pleasure… _Get a grip_ , he reminded himself. _You're just having dinner with an attractive man, nothing more._

The soup dishes were cleared, and as they waited for the main course they kept talking. Eren told him he was a fitness instructor at a local gym and that he usually preferred more casual clothes, while Levi admitted that casual was restricted to his home only. To this Eren exclaimed: "I'd love to see that!" and quickly clapped his hand over his mouth with a shocked expression, but Levi laughed.

When Isabel served the entrecôte with glazed beans and potatoes au gratin, Eren was overwhelmed again and declared it the most delicious thing he'd ever tasted. He dug in with a healthy appetite, and Levi was so occupied with watching that he almost forgot to eat himself.

When the dish was almost finished, Eren asked: "So, what do you do for a living? Clearly something really elegant and cultivated."

Levi sighed. He'd made up his mind. He wanted more than just one date. And if he wanted that, he had to clear up something. He couldn't meet Eren again and lie to him.

"I own some restaurants. In fact, I own _this_ restaurant."

"That's cool! No wonder you suggested the place! But why… why did the waitress act as if she didn't know you?"

"Because she's part of a scheme, Eren. A scheme to set me, and you, up."

Eren stared at him, food forgotten.

"The ones who set up this date were my friends Erwin and Mike. I didn't know anything about it. They…. I know this sounds creepy, but they didn't mean any harm, I promise. Which isn't going to keep me from skinning them alive when I get a hold of them. Apparently they thought I was lonely and incapable of doing something about it myself."

Eren still stared and blinked slowly.

"I'm sorry, Eren. But, can I make up for it? Like, asking you out for a real first date in person?"

Eren started to laugh, at first it was more like a giggle, but soon it grew into full-force laughing fit, with Eren holding his sides and tears streaming down his face. Levi was at a loss. What was so hilarious about his story?

Eventually, Eren calmed down and wiped his eyes. "Sorry, Levi. You can't know this, but actually… _your_ friends made this blind date with _my_ friends."

This time it was Levi's turn to gape.

"My friends Mikasa and Armin… they were nagging me for a while that it was time for me to find someone. And so they looked for a date for me and only told me at the last minute, shoved me into my only suit and carted me here. They fed me your info, though, otherwise I would have bolted. And I thought, okay, sounds interesting, and what do I have to lose?"

Their eyes locked, Levi's mouth twitched, and they both broke into laughter this time.

When Isabel came, Levi told her: "The cat's out of the bag, Isabel. You can tell those two dorks they can stop hiding in the kitchen and accompany us for dessert." He looked around. "Say, why is it so quiet today anyway? Don't we usually have more than one customer?"

"Maybe the 'private function' sign I hung up when I let you in kept them away."

Levi rolled his eyes. "Seriously, you thought you had to close the whole business for a day to get this working? How little trust do you have in me?"

"Very little, Mr. Boss Man", Isabel snorted and stalked off. A short while later she reappeared with a whole tray of desserts, trailed by Erwin, Mike and Farlan, who carried more wine and glasses. Their faces wore an interesting mixture of smug and sheepish expressions as they introduced themselves and dragged up another table. Eren re-told his story, and everybody laughed at the fact that Erwin and Mike had actually chatted up Mikasa and Armin, and Eren promised to bring them around someday. 

And somehow, although they all had to work the next day, and although they all knew they'd be terribly tired and hungover, they kept talking, drinking, and eating Farlan's delicious dessert, dark and sweet as sin itself. At some point Farlan went and turned up the volume of the stereo, playing horribly romantic oldies, and they commenced to dance. Eren was reluctant at first and stated he wasn't good at dancing, but Levi already felt pretty reckless at this point and pulled him to his feet and flush against him. He didn't faze at the more or less continuous stepping on his toes that lasted for the first ten minutes until Eren got the hang of it, nor at the look directed at him from green eyes that was already way too fond for a first date. It felt strangely familiar and comfortable to wrap his arms around Eren's waist and lean against him, and Levi asked: "So, how do you feel about going to another first date with me?"

Eren smiled. "I'd love to." He hesitated, gnawing his lip thoughtfully.

"Levi?"

"Hmm?"

"Even if this isn't a real date – do you mind if I kiss you?"

Instead of an answer, Levi drew him even closer and tilted up his face, and when their lips met with a smile, they heeded neither Erwin's and Mike's whooping noises nor Farlan's' retching.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find my SNK and personal blog under [glassesgirl0401](http://glassesgirl0401.tumblr.com)


End file.
